SULAIMANI (ESTA) — U.S.-led Coalition combat forces have withdrawn from Harir base in the Kurdistan Region, an Iraqi military spokesman said on Tuesday.
Spokesman of Iraqi Joint Operations Command Tahsin al-Khafaji said only a small number of Coalition’s advisors remained at the base, northeast of Erbil.
“These forces completed their withdrawal before the end of this year,” Khafaji added, according to state news agency INA.
The coalition forces handed over weapons and military equipment to the Peshmerga forces, he said.
On Monday, the Coalition’s combat forces also withdraw from Ain al-Asad air base in Anbar province.
The withdrawal is part of an agreement between the United States and Iraq to end the coalition’s combat role in Iraq by the end of this year.
In July, U.S. President Joe Biden and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi sealed an agreement to formally end the combat mission in Iraq by the end of 2021. The United States has kept around 2,500 troops in Iraq since 2020.
On December 13, White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk said during his meetings with Iraqi officials that there were “no longer” U.S. forces serving in a combat role in Iraq.
U.S. commander for the Middle East Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie said in an interview with AP that the United States would keep the current 2,500 troops in Iraq for the foreseeable future and that it would still provide air support and other military aid for Iraq’s fight against Islamic State (ISIS).
